About A. Karen Alfke 

I have been designing my own garments since I learned to knit in Germany in the 1980s. I learned to knit and design at the same time, at the hands of an amazingly talented intuitive designer: my aunt Anne (after whom I am named: that’s the ‘A.’ in ‘A. Karen’).

My aunt doesn’t use other people’s patterns: by keeping garment shapes simple, she can change yarns and gauges and design elements at will. I learned the basics of gauge and garment design from her — and in my naïveté, I thought everyone knit this way! And thus the second phase of my knitter’s education began when I returned to the States, where I had to translate my knitting knowledge into English and learn how to read patterns! (I can certainly relate to beginning knitters as they struggle in this new world of abbreviations and instructions.)

Since 1998, I have been developing ‘Unpatterns’ as a way to pass on the skills I learned from my aunt. I consider Unpatterns “design tools for the independent knitter.” Rather than using stitch-by-stitch instructions, they walk the knitter through garment design with their own yarn and gauge. It is one of my greatest joys to see a student come back wearing an Unpattern garment they’ve finished — the look of pride and ownership in their creation is priceless. In that moment, I’ve created not just a pattern that knitters enjoy working with, but also a new designer!

In 2000, I founded 2nd Nature Design, now the parent company of Unpatterns, with the express goal of creating more independent knitters through quality instruction and unique, understandable designs. My mission is twofold: to create beautiful things and to make more independent knitters. In addition to publishing and distributing my own pattern lines, I also write patterns for yarn companies – lovers of Blue Moon Fiber Arts might recognize my "Rock & Weave" socks from 2006.

I now incorporate elements from my previous professional ‘lives’ into my teaching: thanks to a stint in graphic design, I can build visuals into my patterns and handouts, which make a big difference in helping students understand garment construction. My years teaching German at the college level gave me not only pedagogical training but also the recognition that every student learns in a unique way and the teacher’s job is to identify and play to each student’s strengths.

In the last few years, I've been fortunate to be working full time designing and teaching. Shortly after Churchmouse Yarns & Teas opened its doors in 2000, I began offering classes and workshops at their big wooden table. A few years later, I was asked to teach at the annual Madrona Fiber Arts retreat, and even gave their Friday night event presentation one year. In 2005, I began teaching at the national "Stitches" conferences, where I have enjoyed meeting knitters from all over the country. It's an amazing time to be a knitter, and an even more thrilling time to be a knitting professional!

When I’m not teaching, I knit, design, and pet my dog in Port Townsend, Washington.